JP4396492B2 - Airbag device for steering wheel - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an airbag device for a steering wheel that includes an airbag that is folded and housed in a boss portion of a steering wheel so as to be inflated by inflow of an inflation gas.

  Conventionally, in an airbag device for a steering wheel having the above-described configuration, an airbag is flattened by overlapping a substantially circular vehicle body side wall portion and a driver side wall portion. A first step of folding with a fold substantially along the front-rear direction so as to approach the gas inlet side disposed near the center, and portions on both edges in the front-rear direction of the airbag folded in the first step Is folded and housed through two steps, a second step of folding and folding along a substantially horizontal direction so as to approach the gas inlet side (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). .

Further, as the airbag device, in the first folding step, the one side portion in the left and right direction side portion of the gas inlet is made to approach the edge portion of the other side portion so that the edge portion approaches the other side portion. Some have an airbag configured to fold back to the part side and fold the other part together with the folded one part. In this airbag device, when the airbag is deployed in a state where the occupant is in close proximity, the other side portion that is inflated presses the occupant that is in close proximity in the left-right direction. That is, before the airbag is inflated thickly toward the occupant, the inflating airbag is moved by moving it in the left-right direction so as to remove the adjacent occupant from the area inflating thickly toward the occupant of the airbag It is the structure which reduces the damage to the adjacent passenger | crew by (for example, refer patent document 3).
JP-A-6-144136 JP-A-7-89402 US Pat. No. 5,275,435

  However, in the airbag device described in Patent Document 3, when the first folding process is completed, the outer peripheral edge of one side portion is completely covered so that the tip side is wrapped around the other side portion. In the initial stage of inflation of the airbag, when the other part is inflated, the one part is exposed, and the one part also protrudes from the exposed part and inflates. In such a case, the part that inflates so as to move the occupant is thick and difficult to inflate, and as a result, the adjacent occupant is removed in the left-right direction so as to be removed from the area where the occupant side of the airbag is thickly inflated. In some cases, it could not move greatly to the side. In addition, when the driver is close to the steering wheel, the driver's head may be located in the vicinity of the upper part of the ring portion, and it is necessary to consider the influence on the driver's head. Therefore, it is difficult to directly apply the airbag device having the above configuration to a steering wheel.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves the above-described problem, and is a steering wheel capable of deploying and inflating an airbag with reduced pressing force on the driver when the driver is close to the steering wheel. It is an object of the present invention to provide an air bag device.

An airbag device for a steering wheel according to the present invention is provided on a substantially annular ring portion that is gripped during steering, a boss portion that is disposed in the center and connected to a steering shaft, and an inner peripheral side of a front portion of the ring portion. And a spoke portion arranged to connect the ring portion and the boss portion while ensuring a space for visually recognizing the meter, and an expansion gas that can protect the driver while being mounted on the steering wheel The airbag is folded and accommodated in the boss so that the upper surface of the steering wheel can be covered by being expanded and inflated.
Airbag
A substantially circular vehicle body side wall portion provided on the steering wheel side when the expansion is completed, and having a gas inlet for allowing an expansion gas to flow in the vicinity of the center;
A driver side wall portion that is disposed on the driver side at the completion of the expansion and has substantially the same outer shape as the vehicle body side wall portion;
And the peripheral edges of each other are combined,
After the vehicle body side wall portion and the driver side wall portion are overlapped and flattened, the left and right side edge portions are respectively approximated to the gas inlet side so as to reduce the width dimension in the left and right direction. A first step of folding with a fold along the front-rear direction;
In order to reduce the width dimension in the front-rear direction of the airbag folded in the first step, the folds substantially along the left-right direction are arranged so that the portions on both sides in the front-rear direction approach the gas inlet side, respectively. A second step of attaching and folding,
In the airbag device for a steering wheel configured to be folded and stored through at least two steps of
Airbag
In the first step, the vehicle body side wall portion and the driver side wall portion are overlapped and flattened, and then one side portion of the left and right side portions of the gas inlet is folded so as to reduce the width dimension in the left and right direction. Place it on the upper side of the gas inlet, and then fold the other side part over the one side folding part while roll-folding the outer peripheral edge in the left and right direction around the driver side wall part side Folding,
In the second step, when the front and rear portions of the gas inlet are brought closer to the gas inlet, at least the front portion of the gas inlet is wound around the side wall of the vehicle body. Fold it into
It is characterized by being folded.

  In the airbag apparatus for a steering wheel of the present invention, when the driver is close to the steering wheel in the initial stage of inflation of the airbag, first, when the airbag is unfolded and deployed in the second step, The part on the front side of the gas inflow port folded by the outer roll folding enters the meter viewing space formed between the boss part and the ring part while interfering with the driver to eliminate the folding. Will be deployed. For this reason, the developed front side portion is pressed against the upper surface side by the ring portion, and the front side portion is prevented from expanding so as to protrude toward the driver's head side.

  The airbag is deployed and inflated so as to eliminate the folding of the folding part in the first step at substantially the same time as the folding of the folding part in the second step. In the bag device, the folding part located on the upper side of the folding part in the first step is folded so that the outer peripheral edge is wound around the driver side wall (hereinafter referred to as “inner roll folding”). It is folded. Therefore, when the folding part of the first step comes into contact with the driver who is in close proximity, the contacted part is folded on the inner roll, so the frictional force generated by contact with the driver causes the inner roll folding part. The folding is suppressed so that this part does not expand so as to cancel the folding, and the folding part disposed below the inner roll folding part allows the inflation gas to flow in while eliminating the folding. Will expand. That is, in the airbag apparatus for a steering wheel according to the present invention, when the driver closes the steering wheel when the folds folded in the first step are resolved, first, a portion on one side of the left and right sides of the gas inlet Only when the inflation gas is introduced, the fuel gas expands greatly, and the driver in the vicinity of the steering wheel is inflated at this portion so that the driver can see the first side in the left-right direction (first from the airbag side). The driver moves to one side of the left and right direction so as to be removed from the inflation area of the airbag. And after a driver | operator's movement, it expand | deploys so that an inner roll folding site | part may cancel | disengage a fold, and the gas for expansion | swelling is made to flow in into the inside, Furthermore, the front side of the gas inlet currently hold | suppressed by the ring part is carried out. A part also becomes a mode which protrudes to the upper part side of a ring part with expansion of other parts, and it will complete inflating thickly so that an air bag may cover the upper surface side of a steering wheel.

  That is, in the steering wheel airbag device according to the present invention, when the driver is close to the steering wheel, the portion on the front side of the gas inlet is the front portion of the ring portion at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag. In the state where the protrusion to the driver side is suppressed as much as possible, the one side on the left and right side of the airbag is inflated to remove the driver from the inflation area of the airbag. It will move so that it may press to one side. Then, after the driver moves away from the inflation area of the airbag, the entire airbag is inflated thickly so as to cover the upper surface side of the entire steering wheel including the portion on the front side of the gas inlet. It will be completed. Therefore, the airbag can be inflated without giving a thick inflating pressing force to a nearby driver, for example, by entering between the driver's neck and chin and locking the chin. It is possible to prevent the driver from being strongly pressed in the state where

  Therefore, in the airbag apparatus for a steering wheel according to the present invention, the airbag can be deployed and inflated in a state where the pressing force to the driver is reduced in a state where the driver is close to the steering wheel.

Also, the airbag
In the first step, after the vehicle body side wall and the driver side wall are overlapped and flattened, one side of the left and right side portions of the gas inlet is designated as the outer peripheral edge and the other peripheral portion as the outer peripheral edge. so as to approach the parts, with a fold along a substantially longitudinal direction at a position where the vicinity of the gas inlet folded driver side wall on at the site of the other side, then the other hand overlapped portion of the side In this state, before placing the other part on the upper side of the gas inlet, the outer peripheral edge in the left-right direction of the other part is overlaid on the outer peripheral edge in the left-right direction of the one part. Folded, and then put the other side part on the upper side of the gas inlet, with the folded edge side wound around the driver side wall, with the one side part overlapped ,
In the second step, when the front and rear portions of the gas inlet are brought closer to the gas inlet, at least the front portion of the gas inlet is wound around the side wall of the vehicle body. Fold it so that
It is good also as a structure which folds.

  Even when such a folded airbag is used, when the folding in the first step is canceled, the folding of one part is suppressed and only the other part is unfolded while inflating. The working gas is allowed to flow and expand. In particular, in the airbag folded as described above, the distal end of the outer peripheral edge in the left-right direction at one side portion is wrapped around the upper and lower sides and the distal end side by the other side portion, and the one side portion is placed at the other side. Since it is folded in a state of being overlapped with the side part, the folding of the one side part is not canceled until the folding in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the other side part is canceled, and the other side part is It can be expanded and inflated reliably before the site. Therefore, as the other side portion into which the inflation gas has flowed in is inflated, the driver in the vicinity of the steering wheel moves to one side on the left and right side (one side portion of the first step when viewed from the airbag side). The driver moves to one side of the left and right direction side so as to be removed from the inflation area of the airbag. Then, after the driver moves, if the other side portion of the airbag is completely unfolded, the one side portion of the airbag is inflated by infusing inflation gas into the interior, and further, the gas The part on the front side of the inflow port also protrudes to the upper side of the ring part with the expansion of other parts, and the inflation is completed thickly so as to cover the upper surface side of the steering wheel Will be allowed to.

  That is, even when the airbag folded as described above is used, when the driver is close to the steering wheel, the portion on the front side of the gas inlet at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag Left and right direction so that the driver is removed from the inflation area of the airbag by inflating one side of the airbag in the left and right direction side while keeping the protrusion to the driver side as much as possible. It will move so that it may press to one side of the side. After the driver moves away from the inflation area of the airbag, the thickening is completed so that the entire airbag covers the upper surface of the entire steering wheel, including the front portion of the gas inlet. Will be allowed to. Therefore, the airbag can be inflated without giving a thick inflating pressing force to a nearby driver, for example, by entering between the driver's neck and chin and locking the chin. It is possible to prevent the driver from being strongly pressed in the state where

  Therefore, even when the airbag folded as described above is used, the airbag can be deployed and inflated in a state where the pressing force to the driver is reduced in a state where the driver is close to the steering wheel.

Further, in the steering wheel airbag apparatus having the above-described configuration, the airbag is folded in the first step on one side of the left and right side portions of the gas inlet onto the driver side wall portion on the other side. Then, before placing the other side portion on the upper side of the gas inlet with the one side portion overlapped, the left and right sides of the one side portion are left and right by the outer peripheral edge in the left and right direction of the other side portion. Fold the left and right outer peripheral edges of the other side part so as to overlap the left and right outer peripheral parts of the one side part, and then wrap the one side part in a state where superposed, and a portion of the other side, the folded edge portion side so as to wrap the driver side wall portion, as placed on the upper side of the gas inlet, Nde folding. That is, in the airbag apparatus for a steering wheel having the above-described configuration, the distal end portion of the outer peripheral edge portion on one side portion is pressed by the distal end portion of the outer peripheral edge portion on the other side portion. At the same time, the expansion and expansion of the part on one side is suppressed as much as possible, and conversely, the part on the other side can be inflated largely thickly before the tip of the outer peripheral edge is inflated. The driver who is driving can be greatly pushed to one side in the left-right direction .

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the front / rear, up / down, and left / right directions in the embodiment are based on the straight-ahead steering of the steering wheel W mounted on the vehicle unless otherwise specified, and the steering shaft SS to which the steering wheel W is assembled (see FIG. 10). The vertical direction along the axial direction of () is the vertical direction, the longitudinal direction of the vehicle that is orthogonal to the steering shaft SS is the longitudinal direction, and the lateral direction of the vehicle that is orthogonal to the steering shaft SS is the lateral direction. -Indicates the left-right direction.

  The steering wheel airbag device M according to the embodiment is configured to be disposed at an upper portion of the boss portion B at the center of the steering wheel W as shown in FIGS. The steering wheel W includes a substantially annular ring portion R that is gripped during steering, a boss portion B that is disposed in the center and connected to the steering shaft SS (see FIG. 10), and a front portion of the ring portion R that is mounted on the vehicle. Spoke parts (four are arranged in the embodiment) arranged to connect the ring part R and the boss part B while securing the space A for meter viewing arranged on the peripheral side, It is configured with. Moreover, the steering wheel W is a structure provided with the airbag apparatus M and the steering wheel main body 1 on a component.

  The steering wheel body 1 includes a cored bar 2 made of an aluminum alloy or the like disposed so as to connect the ring part R, the boss part B, and the spoke part S, and the spoke part S on the ring part R and ring part R side. And a synthetic resin coating layer 3 for covering the core metal 2 and a synthetic resin lower cover 4 disposed below the boss B.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the airbag device M includes a folded airbag 19, an inflator 8 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 19, and the airbag 19 and the inflator 8 that cover the folded airbag 19. And a case 10 that holds the

  The inflator 8 includes a substantially columnar main body 8a having a gas discharge port 8b for discharging expansion gas at an upper portion thereof, and a substantially square plate-like flange portion 8c arranged to protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the main body 8a. Configured. The flange portion 8c is formed with an insertion hole 8d through which a bolt 6a protruding from a retainer 6 described later is inserted.

  The retainer 6 is made of a substantially square annular sheet metal, and includes bolts 6a protruding downward at the four corners. The retainer 6 presses a peripheral edge of a gas inlet 22 (to be described later) of the airbag 19 and causes a bolt 6a to protrude from the flange 8c of the inflator 8 through the peripheral edge of the gas inlet 22 and a bag holder 11 (to be described later). By fixing the nut 7, the airbag 19 is attached to the bag holder 11 of the case 10.

  The case 10 includes a sheet metal bag holder 11 and a synthetic resin pad 15 as an airbag cover.

  The bag holder 11 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped holder plate 12 that opens upward, and a backup plate 13 that holds the pad 15 in cooperation with the holder plate 12. Inserted holes 12a and 13a for inserting the main body 8a of the inflator 8 from below and mounting holes 12b and 13b that are arranged around the inserted holes 12a and 13a and through which the bolts 6a of the retainer 6 are inserted. And is configured. The backup plate 13 includes a bracket (not shown) connected to the core metal 2 of the steering wheel body 1.

  The pad 15 includes a lid portion 16 that covers the upper portion of the boss portion B, and a side wall portion 17 that protrudes downward in a substantially rectangular tube shape from the lower surface of the periphery of the lid portion 16. The lid body portion 16 is configured to include two door portions (not shown in the figure) that open to the front-rear direction side of the steering wheel W when the airbag 19 is inflated at a portion surrounded by the side wall portion 17. Around the portion, there is formed a thin-walled portion to be broken (not shown) that is pushed by the airbag 19 and breaks to smoothly open the door portion. The side wall 17 is held by the bag holder 11 with the holder plate 12 and the backup plate 13 constituting the bag holder 11 sandwiching the vicinity of the lower end thereof.

  In the case of the embodiment, the folded airbag 19 is regulated by the holder plate 12 of the bag holder 11 and the main body 8a of the inflator 8 on the lower surface side, and the lid body portion 16 and the side wall portion 17 of the pad 15 on the upper surface side. It will be regulated.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the airbag 19 has a bag-like bag body 20 that is inflated by inflating an inflating gas, and a rectifying cloth for regulating the inflow direction of the inflating gas into the bag main body 20. 30. The bag body 20 is made of a flexible woven fabric made of polyamide yarn, polyester yarn, or the like, and is a vehicle body side wall portion 21 that becomes the steering wheel W side when the inflation is completed, and the driver MD side when the inflation is completed. And a driver side wall portion 24. In the center of the vehicle body side wall portion 21, a gas inflow port 22 through which an inflation gas discharged from a gas discharge port 8 b of the inflator 8 flows can be inserted in a circular shape so that the inflator body 8 a can be inserted from below. Yes. In addition, four attachment holes 23 through which the bolts 6 a formed in the retainer 6 are inserted are formed on the periphery of the gas inlet 22. 5, 9, 12, and 13, the bag holder 11 that is disposed between the periphery of the gas inlet 22 of the airbag 19 and the flange portion 8 c of the inflator 8 is omitted.

  Further, in the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the bag main body 20 includes a substantially circular vehicle body-side base fabric that includes a vehicle body side wall portion 21 and a circular opening 26 a that forms a gas inlet 22 at the center. 26, a circular driver-side base cloth 27 that forms the driver side wall portion 24 and has the same outer shape as the vehicle-body-side base cloth 26, and a reinforcement that is sewn to the periphery of the opening 26a in the vehicle-body-side base cloth 26 It is comprised from cloth 28A * 28B * 28C * 28D. The vehicle body-side base cloth 26 includes four attachment holes 26b constituting the attachment holes 23 on the periphery of the opening 26a. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a vent hole 26 c is formed in the vehicle body side base fabric 26.

  The reinforcing cloths 28 </ b> A, 28 </ b> B, 28 </ b> C, and 28 </ b> D are arranged to reinforce the strength of the periphery of the gas inlet 22, and the number of arrangements can be appropriately changed according to the output of the inflator 8. Each reinforcing cloth 28A, 28B, 28C, 28D is formed with an opening 28a corresponding to the gas inlet 22 and a mounting hole 28b corresponding to the mounting hole 23. Further, the reinforcing cloth 28B is provided with belt-like connecting portions 28c and 28c connected to tether portions 36 and 36, which will be described later, of the rectifying cloth 30 from the peripheral edge so as to be symmetric in the left-right direction. Is formed.

  Like the bag body 20, the rectifying cloth 30 is made of a flexible woven cloth made of polyamide yarn or polyester yarn, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, And two belt-like tether portions 36 and 36 extending from the periphery of the flow regulating cloth main body 31. The rectifying cloth main body 31 is coupled to the driver side wall 24 and the vicinity of the gas inlet 22 in the vehicle body side wall 21, respectively. And when the internal pressure of the bag body 20 reaches a predetermined pressure, the connection state between the driver side wall portion 24 and the vicinity of the gas inlet 22 in the vehicle body side wall portion 21 is released.

  Specifically, the rectifying cloth main body 31 is an annular driver side coupling portion (sewn part) 33 that is disposed in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge of the rectifying cloth main body 31, and near the center of the driver side wall portion 24. It is the structure sewn on. And the vehicle body side coupling | bond part 32 is arrange | positioned in the site | part inside the driver | operator side coupling | bond part 33 in the baffle body 31. FIG. The vehicle body side coupling portion 32 is configured to be connected to the vicinity of the gas inlet 22 in the vehicle body side wall portion 21 using the retainer 6. Further, the vehicle body side coupling portion 32 is formed at a position corresponding to the gas inflow port 22 so that the inflator main body 8a can be inserted, and is formed corresponding to the mounting hole 23 so as to be a bolt of the retainer 6. An attachment hole 32b through which 6a can be inserted is formed. In other words, in the embodiment, the retainer 6 is disposed on the upper side of the vehicle body side coupling portion 32, and the vehicle body side coupling portion 32 is attached and fixed to the bag holder 11 by the retainer 6 together with the vehicle body side wall portion 21. The rectifying cloth main body 31 coupled to the vicinity of the center of the person side wall portion 24 is coupled to the vicinity of the gas inlet 22 in the vehicle body side wall portion 21.

  In addition, a gas outlet 34 is formed between the driver side coupling portion 33 and the vehicle body side coupling portion 32 in the rectifying cloth body 31 to allow the inflation gas G discharged from the inflator 8 to flow into the bag body 20. ing. The gas outlet 34 regulates the inflow direction of the inflation gas G into the bag body 20 in the front-rear direction symmetrical about the gas inlet 22, and at two locations before and after the opening 32a, Each is arranged along the periphery of the opening 32a. Between the gas outlets 34, 34, linear breakage planned portions 35, 35 formed by forming perforated cuts in the base fabric constituting the rectifying cloth main body 31 are gas outlets 34. -It is arrange | positioned so that 34 may be connected. The planned break portions 35 and 35 are configured to be broken when the internal pressure of the bag body 20 reaches a predetermined pressure (10 to 20 kPa). As a result, the driver side wall 24 and the vehicle side wall 21 are disconnected from each other in the vicinity of the gas inlet 22.

  The tether portions 36 and 36 are formed in a belt shape and extend so as to protrude from the peripheral edge of the rectifying cloth main body 31 to the left and right sides. The tether parts 36 and 36 regulate the separation distance of the driver side wall part 24 from the gas inlet 22 when the airbag 19 is completely inflated, thereby regulating the inflated shape of the bag body 20. 36a is sewn to the end portions 28d and 28d of the connecting portions 28c and 28c disposed on the reinforcing cloth 28B, and is connected to the vicinity of the gas inlet 22.

  The airbag 19 according to the embodiment includes a driver-side base cloth 27 in which a rectifying cloth 30 is sewn in advance at the driver-side coupling portion 33, and reinforcing cloths 28A, 28B, The vehicle body side base fabric 26 on which the 28C and 28D have been sewn is overlapped with each other so that the outer surface faces each other, and the outer peripheral edges are sewn together using a suture thread. After that, the bag body 20 is reversed using the gas inlet 22 so that the stitching margin does not appear on the outer surface of the airbag 19, and after the reversing operation, the connecting portion formed on the reinforcing cloth 28D. The end portions 28d and 28d of 28c and 28c and the end portions 36a and 36a of the tether portions 36 and 36 formed on the rectifying cloth 30 are pulled out from the gas inlet 22, and the end portions 28d and 36a are sewn together. If you wear it, manufacture Door can be.

  And the airbag apparatus M is assembled using the airbag 19 manufactured as mentioned above. First, the airbag 19 is folded. In the case of the embodiment, the airbag 19 has the retainer 6 disposed between the driver side wall portion 24 and the rectifying cloth main body 31, and the bolts 6a protrude from the mounting holes 23 in the first step and the second step. Through the process, it will be folded.

  Specifically, in the first step, as shown in FIG. 7A, the airbag 19 has the driver side wall portion 24 and the vehicle body side wall portion 21 overlapped and flattened, and then has a width dimension in the left-right direction. In order to shrink, the portions on both sides in the left-right direction are each folded with a fold along substantially the front-rear direction so as to approach the gas inlet 22 side. First, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, a portion 38 on the right side of the gas inlet 22 is folded along the front-rear direction so that the outer peripheral edge 38a is wound around the driver side wall 24. Folding is performed (inner roll folding), and the folding part 39 is formed so as to overlap the gas inlet 22. Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the portion 40 on the left side of the gas inlet 22 is folded along the front-rear direction so that the outer peripheral edge portion 40a is wound around the driver side wall portion 24 side. The folding part 41 is formed by roll folding (inner roll folding), and the folding part 41 is folded over the folding part 39 to complete the first step.

  Next, in the second step, the both ends in the front-rear direction are made closer to the gas inlet 22 side so that the width dimension in the front-rear direction of the folded body 42 folded in the first step is reduced. Fold it with a crease along the horizontal direction. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 7C and 7D, a portion 43 on the front side of the gas inlet 22 and a portion 44 on the rear side of the first folding completed body 42 are respectively left and right. Are folded so that the outer peripheral edge portions 43a and 44a are wound around the vehicle body side wall 21 side (outer roll folding), and are folded so as to form two folding portions 46 and 47. If the two folding parts 46 and 47 are arranged side by side so as to overlap each other above the gas inlet 22, the second step can be completed and the folding of the airbag 19 is completed. can do.

  Next, storage of the folded airbag 19 in the case 10 will be described. First, each bolt 6a of the retainer 6 protruding from the folded airbag 19 is attached to each holder plate 12 of the bag holder 11. The airbag 19 is placed on the holder plate 12 through the hole 12b.

  Thereafter, the pad 15 is covered from above the airbag 19 and locked to the holder plate 12, and the backup plate 13 is disposed below the holder plate 12, and the side wall portion 17 of the pad 15 is attached to the holder plate 12. And the backup plate 13, and the pad 15 is held by the bag holder 11. At this time, each bolt 6 a of the retainer 6 is passed through the mounting hole 13 b formed in the backup plate 13.

  The main body 8a of the inflator 8 is inserted into the insertion holes 12a, 13a, the gas inlet 22 and the opening 32a of the bag holder 11 from below, and the bolts 6a of the retainer 6 are formed on the flange portion 8c of the inflator 8. The air bag 19, the bag holder 11, and the inflator 8 can be assembled together by projecting downward from the inserted through-hole 8 d and screwing the nut 7 into each bolt 6 a. Will be completed.

  Thereafter, the airbag apparatus M is connected to the core metal 2 using a bracket (not shown) of the bag holder 11 with the core metal 2 of the boss B of the steering wheel body 1 fastened to the steering shaft SS of the vehicle. Then, the airbag apparatus M can be attached to the steering wheel W. When the steering wheel W is mounted on the vehicle and the inflation gas is discharged from the gas discharge port 8b of the inflator body 8a, the folded airbag 19 breaks a predetermined position of the pad 15 and expands greatly. It will be.

  In the case of the embodiment, the inflation gas G discharged from the gas discharge port 8b of the inflator body 8a at the beginning of the operation of the inflator 8 is between the driver side wall part 24 and the rectifying cloth body 31 as shown in FIG. Once filled, the inflow direction is controlled from the gas outlets 34 and 34 formed in the rectifying cloth main body 31 and flows into the bag main body 20 in the front-rear direction. Thereafter, when the inflation gas G further flows into the bag main body 20 and the internal pressure of the bag main body 20 reaches a predetermined pressure, the planned fracture portions 35 and 35 are broken, and the driver side wall portion 24 and the gas flow are separated. The connection state with the vicinity of the inlet 22 is released, and the bag body 20 completes the inflation as shown in FIG. When the inflation is completed, the bag body 20 is disposed so as to cover the upper surface side of the entire steering wheel W, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG.

  In the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, when the airbag 19 is deployed and inflated, the driver MD moves the head MH closer to the front side portion of the ring portion R so as to approach the steering wheel W. If so, the airbag 19 is deployed and inflated as follows. In the initial stage of inflation, the airbag 19 is first unfolded after the folding portions 46 and 47 in the second step are unfolded. However, in the airbag device M of the embodiment, the airbag 19 is in the second step. The portion 43 on the front side of the gas inlet 22 is folded by outer roll folding so that the outer peripheral edge (front edge) 43a is wound around the side wall 21 of the vehicle body. As shown in FIG. 11A, the meter viewing space A (formed between the boss portion B and the front portion Ra of the ring portion R while interfering with the driver MD and canceling the folding. (See FIG. 1). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11B, the deployed front side portion 43 is configured such that the upper surface side can be pressed against the front side portion Ra of the ring portion R, and the front side portion 43 is It is suppressed that it expand | swells so that it may protrude toward the head MH side of MD.

  And, at the same time as the folding of the folding parts 46 and 47 in the second step, the airbag 19 is deployed and inflated so as to cancel the folding of the folding parts 39 and 41 in the first step. In the airbag apparatus M according to the embodiment, the folding portion 41 (left side portion 40) located on the upper side is folded by being folded inwardly so that the outer peripheral edge portion 40a is wound around the driver side wall portion 24. ing. Therefore, when the folding part 41 comes into contact with an adjacent driver MD at the time of deployment and expansion, the folding part 41 is folded by the inner roll folding, so that it occurs due to contact with the driver MD. By the frictional force, the elimination of the folding of the inner roll folding part 41 is suppressed. Then, as shown in FIGS. 12B and 12C, the portion 41 does not expand so as to cancel the folding, and the folding portion 39 (the right side portion 38) disposed below the inner roll folding portion 41 is folded. In this case, the expansion gas is caused to flow and expand. That is, in the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, when the driver MD is close to the steering wheel W when the folding portions 39 and 41 folded in the first step are released, first, the right side of the gas inlet 22 Only the portion 38 is expanded by inflating the inflation gas. As the portion 38 expands, the driver MD close to the steering wheel W is pressed to the left side (the vehicle interior I). Thus, as shown in FIG. 13A, the driver MD moves to the left side (vehicle inside I) so as to be removed from the inflating area of the airbag 19. Then, after the movement of the driver MD, the folding part (inner roll folding part) 41 is unfolded so as to cancel the folding, and the inflation gas is caused to flow inside, and further to the front side part Ra of the ring part R. A portion 43 on the front side of the gas inlet 22 pressed on the upper surface side is also projected to the upper side of the ring portion R as the other portions are inflated, and the airbag 19 is used by the driver MD. As in the case of not approaching, the expansion is completed thickly so as to cover the upper surface side of the entire steering wheel W as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG.

  That is, in the airbag apparatus M according to the embodiment, when the driver MD is close to the steering wheel W, the portion that becomes the front side 43 of the gas inlet 22 in the initial stage of inflation of the airbag 19 is The right side portion 38 of the airbag 19 is inflated so that the driver MD is removed from the inflated area of the airbag 19 with the protrusion to the driver MD side being suppressed as much as possible by being hooked on the front portion Ra. Then, it is moved so as to be pressed to the left side (vehicle inside I). Then, after the driver MD has moved away from the inflation area of the airbag 19, the entire airbag 19 covers the upper surface side of the entire steering wheel W including the portion 43 that is the front side of the gas inlet 22. Thus, the expansion is completed thickly. Therefore, the airbag 19 can be inflated without applying a thickly inflating pressing force to the adjacent driver MD, for example, between the neck MN and the jaw MJ (see FIG. 11) of the driver MD. It is possible to prevent the driver MD from being strongly pressed in the state where the driver MD is engaged with the jaw MJ.

  Therefore, in the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, the airbag 19 can be deployed and inflated in a state where the pressing force to the driver MD is reduced in a state where the driver MD is close to the steering wheel W.

  Further, in the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, since the vicinity of the center of the driver side wall portion 24 and the vicinity of the gas inlet 22 are connected by the rectifying cloth 30 at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag 19, The thickness dimension near the center of the airbag 19 can be controlled. That is, in the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, the right side portion 38 can be preferentially inflated thickly while suppressing the vicinity of the center from being thickly inflated at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag 19, so that the right side portion 38 can be quickly expanded. The driver MD can be moved to the left side (vehicle interior I) in a state where contact with the vicinity of the center of the airbag 19 is suppressed. Further, in the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, the inflation gas flows into the bag body 20 along the front-rear direction at the initial stage of inflation of the airbag 19 by the gas outlets 34 and 34 formed in the rectifying cloth 36. Therefore, the portion 43 on the front side of the gas inlet 22 can be quickly deployed so as to enter the space A for visualizing the meter in the early stage of inflation of the airbag 19, and this portion 43 on the front side However, it can suppress that it expand | swells so that it may interfere with the head MH of driver | operator MD as much as possible.

  In the airbag device M of the embodiment, in the initial stage of inflation of the airbag 19, the folding part 39 (the right side part 38) that does not come into contact with the driver MD is deployed and inflated so as to cancel the folding, and the driver MD Therefore, it is preferable that the airbag 19 can be prevented from being deployed by rubbing the driver MD in contact therewith. In the airbag apparatus M of the embodiment, the right side portion 38 is also folded by inner roll so that the outer peripheral edge portion 38a is wound around the driver side wall portion 24, but the folded shape of the right side portion 38 is as follows. It is good also as a structure folded by the outer roll fold which winds the outer periphery part 38a to the vehicle body side wall part 21 side, the bellows fold etc. which fold while making the outer periphery part 38a approach the gas inflow port 22 side.

  Moreover, it is good also as a structure which folds the airbag 19A of the same shape as the above-mentioned airbag 19 as shown in FIG. The airbag 19A differs from the airbag 19 in the airbag apparatus M described above only in the folded shape, and has the same configuration as that of the airbag 19. Therefore, the same member has “A” at the end of the same reference numeral. "Is attached and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  Also in the folding shown in FIG. 14, the airbag 19 </ b> A is folded through the first step and the second step. In the first step, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, a portion 40A on the left side of the gas inlet 22A in the airbag 19A in which the driver side wall portion 24A and the vehicle body side wall portion 21A are overlapped and flattened, The outer peripheral edge portion 40a is brought closer to the outer peripheral edge portion 38a of the right side portion 38A, and a fold line C1 is provided along the front-rear direction at a position near the gas inlet 22A, so that the driver side wall portion of the right side portion 38A Fold it over 24A. Next, as shown in FIGS. 14B and 14C, the right side portion 38A is arranged with the tip end portion 38b of the outer peripheral edge portion 38a overlapping the tip end portion 40b of the outer peripheral edge portion 40a of the left side portion 40A, and The upper and lower sides and the front end side of the distal end portion 40b of the left side portion 40A are folded by attaching a crease C2 along the front-rear direction at a portion in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion 38a so that the outer peripheral portion 38a of the right side portion 38A is wrapped. Thereafter, the right side portion 38A is folded along the front and rear direction together with the left side portion 40A, and the inner periphery is folded so that the folded outer peripheral edge portion 38a is wound around the driver side wall portion 24A. Are folded so as to overlap with each other to form a folded portion 50, and the first step is completed (see D in FIG. 14). When the first step is completed (first folding completed body 42A), the outer peripheral edge portion 40a of the left side portion 40A is covered with the right side portion 38A on both the upper and lower sides and the tip side. Specifically, the right side portion 38A covering the outer peripheral edge portion 40a of the left side portion 40A is a portion of the edge portion 38a, covers the upper side of the outer peripheral edge portion 40a, and is a portion from the outer peripheral edge portion 38a side to the base portion side. It arrange | positions so that the downward direction may be covered from the front-end | tip of the outer periphery part 40a (refer D of FIG. 14).

  In the second step, the portions 43A and 44A disposed on the front side and the rear side of the gas inflow port 22A in the first folding completed body 42A are respectively removed in the same manner as in the second step in the above-described folding. The outer peripheral portions 43a and 44a are folded so as to be wound around the vehicle body side wall portion 21A, and are folded so as to form folding portions 46A and 47A (see D and E in FIG. 14).

  Even when the airbag 19A folded in this way is used, when the folding in the first step is eliminated, the elimination of the folding of the left side portion 40A is suppressed as shown in FIG. Only the unfolding will cause the expansion gas to flow in and expand. In particular, in the airbag 19A of the embodiment, the front end portion 40b of the outer peripheral edge portion 40a in the left side portion 40A is overlapped on the right side portion 38A with the left side portion 40A overlapped with the right side portion 38A on both the upper and lower sides and the front end side. Since the folding of the left side portion 40A is not canceled until the folding of the right side portion 38A in the vicinity of the outer peripheral edge 38a is canceled, the right side portion 38A is surely placed ahead of the left side portion 40A. Can be inflated. Therefore, the driver MD that is close to the steering wheel W is pressed to the left side (the vehicle interior side I) in accordance with the expansion of the right side portion 38A into which the inflating gas has been introduced. As shown, the driver MD moves to the left side (vehicle inside I) so as to be removed from the inflation area of the airbag 19A. Then, after the driver MD moves, if the right side portion 38A is completely unfolded, the left side portion 40A is inflated by allowing the inflation gas to flow into the interior, and further on the front side of the gas inlet 22A. The part 43A also has an aspect that protrudes upward from the ring portion R as the other parts inflate, and the airbag 19A completes the inflating thickly so as to cover the upper surface side of the steering wheel W. .

  That is, even when the airbag 19A folded as described above is used, when the driver MD is close to the steering wheel W, the portion 43A that is on the front side of the gas inlet 22A in the initial stage of inflation of the airbag 19A The right side portion 38A of the airbag 19A is inflated in a state in which the protrusion to the driver MD side is suppressed as much as possible so as to be hooked on the front side portion Ra of the ring portion R, and the driver MD is connected to the airbag 19A. It moves so that it may press to the left side (vehicle inside I) so that it may remove from an expansion | swelling area. And after driver MD moves so that it may remove from the inflation area of air bag 19A, air bag 19A whole covers the upper surface side of steering wheel W whole also including part 43A used as the front side of gas inflow port 22A. So that the thicker will be completed. Therefore, the airbag 19A can be inflated without giving the driver MD a pressing force that inflates thickly. For example, the airbag 19A enters between the neck MN and the chin MJ of the driver MD to engage the chin MJ. It is possible to prevent the driver MD from being strongly pressed in a stopped state.

  Therefore, even when the airbag 19A folded as described above is used, the airbag 19A is deployed and inflated in a state where the pressing force to the driver MD is reduced in a state where the driver MD is close to the steering wheel W. be able to.

  Further, in the airbag 19A, in the first step, the distal end portion 40b of the outer peripheral edge portion 40a of the left side portion 40A is folded so as to be pressed by the distal end portion 38b of the outer peripheral edge portion 38a of the right side portion 38A. When the airbag 19A is deployed and inflated, the deployment and inflation of the left side portion 40A is suppressed as much as possible, and conversely, the right side portion 38A is inflated largely thickly before the distal end portion 38b of the outer peripheral edge portion 38a is inflated. This makes it possible to push the driver MD close to the vehicle to the left (inside I), which is preferable.

  If this point is not taken into consideration, the airbag 19A may be folded as shown in FIG. In the folding shown in FIG. 17, in the first step, the left side portion 40A is attached to the driver side wall of the right side portion 38A with a crease C1 so that the outer peripheral edge portion 40a approaches the outer peripheral edge portion 38a of the right side portion 38A. From the folded state on the portion 24A, the right side portion 38A is attached with a crease C3 along the front-rear direction in the vicinity of the center in the left-right direction so that the outer peripheral edge portion 38a approaches the gas inlet 22A. The airbag 52 in the folded state is folded together with 40A, and is folded so as to be folded with a crease C4 along the front-rear direction near the center in the left-right direction. In the folded body 42B that has undergone such a first step, as shown in FIG. 17D, the outer peripheral edge portion 40a (tip portion 40b) of the left side portion 40A is the outer peripheral edge portion 38a (tip portion 38b) of the right side portion 38A. ), The tip side and the upper and lower sides are arranged on the gas inlet 22A side from the tip part 38b on the right side part 38A, depending on the area on the left side part 40A. Since the upper and lower sides including the tip are covered so as to be wrapped around the inlet 22A side portion), the right side portion 38A can be surely expanded before the left side portion 40A. it can.

  In the second embodiment, in the second step, the airbags 19 and 19A are configured so that the rear portions 44 and 44A of the gas inflow ports 22 and 22A are connected to the outer peripheral edge portion 44a in the same manner as the front portions 43 and 43A. Although it is the structure which folds by the outer roll fold which winds to the part 21 * 21A side, the folding shape of rear part 44 * 44A is not restricted to this, For example, you may fold by bellows folding etc.

  In the embodiment, each of the airbags 19 and 19A is folded so as to move the driver MD to the left side that is the vehicle interior I, but of course, the driver MD is moved to the vehicle by reversing the left and right sides. It is good also as a structure folded so that it can move to the right side used as the outer side O. FIG.

It is a top view of the steering wheel in which the airbag apparatus for steering wheels which is one Embodiment of this invention is used. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the steering wheel of the embodiment, and is a figure corresponding to the II-II site | part of FIG. It is a top view of the deployment state of the airbag used by the embodiment. It is a bottom view of the deployment state in the airbag of the embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the deployment state in the airbag of the embodiment. It is a general | schematic disassembled perspective view which shows the structural member at the time of manufacture of the airbag of the embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the folding process of the airbag of the embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the expansion | swelling initial state of the airbag in the airbag apparatus of the embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the inflation completion state of the airbag in the airbag apparatus of the embodiment. It is the schematic seen from the side of the steering wheel which shows the inflation completion state of the airbag in the airbag apparatus of the embodiment. In the airbag apparatus of embodiment, it is the schematic which shows the inflation process of the airbag in the state which the driver | operator approached. In the airbag apparatus of embodiment, it is the schematic which shows the inflation process of the airbag in the state which the driver | operator approached. FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an airbag inflating process in a state in which a driver is in proximity in the airbag device of the embodiment, and is a diagram illustrating a process subsequent to FIG. 12. It is the schematic which shows the other folding process of the airbag used for the airbag apparatus of the embodiment. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an airbag inflating process in a state in which a driver is in proximity in an airbag device using the airbag folded in the process illustrated in FIG. 14. FIG. 16 is a schematic view showing an airbag inflating process in a state where a driver is in proximity in the airbag device using the airbag folded in the process shown in FIG. 14, and is a figure showing a process subsequent to FIG. 15. It is the schematic which shows the further folding process of the airbag used for the airbag apparatus of the embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

8 ... Inflator,
19.19A ... Airbag,
38 / 38A ... right side part,
38a ... outer peripheral edge,
38b ... the tip,
39 ... Folding part,
40, 40A ... left side part,
40a ... outer peripheral edge,
40b ... the tip,
41 ... Folding part,
42.42A ... first folding completed body,
43.43A ... front part,
43a ... outer peripheral edge,
44.44A ... rear part,
44a ... edge,
50: Folding part,
A ... space,
B ... Boss
MD ... Driver,
R ... Ring part,
S ... Spoke part,
SS ... Steering shaft,
W ... Steering wheel,
M: An airbag device for a steering wheel.

Claims (2)

While securing a space for viewing the meter disposed on the inner peripheral side of the front portion of the ring portion, a substantially annular ring portion gripped at the time of steering, a boss portion disposed in the center and connected to the steering shaft, And a spoke portion disposed so as to connect the ring portion and the boss portion, and is expanded and inflated by introducing an inflating gas so as to protect the driver. It is configured to include an airbag that is folded and stored in the boss portion so as to cover the upper surface side of the steering wheel.
The airbag is
A substantially circular vehicle body side wall portion provided on the steering wheel side when the expansion is completed, and having a gas inlet for allowing an expansion gas to flow in the vicinity of the center;
A driver side wall disposed on the driver's side at the time of completion of expansion and having substantially the same outer shape as the vehicle body side wall;
And the peripheral edges of each other are combined,
After the vehicle body side wall and the driver side wall are overlapped and flattened, the left and right side edges are made closer to the gas inlet side so as to reduce the width in the left and right direction. And a first step of folding with a fold substantially along the front-rear direction,
In order to reduce the width dimension in the front-rear direction of the airbag folded in the first step, the portions on both sides in the front-rear direction are substantially along the left-right direction so as to approach the gas inlet side, respectively. A second step of folding and folding,
In the airbag device for a steering wheel configured to be folded and stored through at least two steps of
The airbag is
In the first step, the vehicle body side wall portion and the driver side wall portion are overlapped and flattened, and then the width dimension in the left-right direction is reduced in one side portion of the left and right side portions of the gas inlet. Fold it up and place it on the upper side of the gas inlet, and then fold the one side while rolling it so that the outer peripheral edge in the left-right direction is wound around the driver side wall. Fold it over the area,
In the second step, when the front and rear side portions of the gas inlet are brought closer to the gas inlet side, at least the front portion of the gas inlet and the front edge of the side wall of the vehicle body Fold the roll so that it wraps around the side,
An airbag device for a steering wheel, wherein the airbag device is folded. While securing a space for viewing the meter disposed on the inner peripheral side of the front portion of the ring portion, a substantially annular ring portion gripped at the time of steering, a boss portion disposed in the center and connected to the steering shaft, And a spoke portion disposed so as to connect the ring portion and the boss portion, and is expanded and inflated by introducing an inflating gas so as to protect the driver. It is configured to include an airbag that is folded and stored in the boss portion so as to cover the upper surface side of the steering wheel.
The airbag is
A substantially circular vehicle body side wall portion provided on the steering wheel side when the expansion is completed, and having a gas inlet for allowing an expansion gas to flow in the vicinity of the center;
A driver side wall disposed on the driver's side at the time of completion of expansion and having substantially the same outer shape as the vehicle body side wall;
And the peripheral edges of each other are combined,
After the vehicle body side wall and the driver side wall are overlapped and flattened, the left and right side edges are made closer to the gas inlet side so as to reduce the width in the left and right direction. And a first step of folding with a fold substantially along the front-rear direction,
In order to reduce the width dimension in the front-rear direction of the airbag folded in the first step, the portions on both sides in the front-rear direction are substantially along the left-right direction so as to approach the gas inlet side, respectively. A second step of folding and folding,
In the airbag device for a steering wheel configured to be folded and stored through at least two steps of
The airbag is
In the first step, after the vehicle body side wall portion and the driver side wall portion are overlapped and flattened, the one side portion of the left and right side portions of the gas inlet is set to the outer peripheral portion on the other side. Fold it on the driver side wall in the other side part by making a fold along the front-rear direction at a position near the gas inlet so as to approach the outer peripheral edge of the part, Before placing the other side portion on the upper side of the gas inlet with the one side portion overlapped, the left and right outer peripheral edge portions of the other side portion are placed in the left and right direction of the one side portion. In the state where the one side portion is overlapped, the other side portion is wound around the driver side wall portion side . Place on the upper side of the gas inlet,
In the second step, when the front and rear side portions of the gas inlet are brought closer to the gas inlet side, at least the front portion of the gas inlet and the front edge of the side wall of the vehicle body Fold the roll so that it wraps around the side,
An airbag device for a steering wheel, wherein the airbag device is folded.

Images